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Australia's Go1 raises $200m Series D at $1b valuation
SoftBank Vision Fund 2, AirTree Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures have led a $200 million Series D round for Australian workforce training start-up Go1 at a valuation of $1 billion.
India's Lenskart raises $220m at $2.5b valuation
Indian eyewear retailer Lenskart has raised a $220 million round led by Temasek Holdings and Falcon Edge Capital at a valuation of $2.5 million.
China beauty: Service with a smile
Beauty and wellness are at the vanguard of China’s fast-rising services sector. Investors see clear paths to growth, but size presents a plethora of problems in terms of standardizing service quality
PatPat raises $510m across Series C, D rounds
PatPat, a Chinese-founded children’s wear brand that claims to be the world’s largest direct-to-consumer (DTC) player in its segment, has raised $510 million across two rounds of funding.
AppWorks leads $12m round for Singapore's Tinvio
Taiwanese accelerator and VC investor AppWorks has led a $12 million round for Singapore-based enterprise services platform Tinvio.
Tech investment surges in India, SE Asia as China plummets
A drop-off in PE and VC technology investment in China in the second quarter of 2021 – widely linked to a multi-faceted regulatory crackdown on the sector – was to some extent counterbalanced by record levels of activity in India and Southeast Asia.
Vision Fund commits $1.7b to Korean travel start-up Yanolja
Yanolja, which claims to be South Korea’s only travel industry unicorn, has received $1.7 billion from SoftBank Vision Fund 2. There are no other investors in the round.
NewView leads Series B for Australia's Eucalyptus
Silicon Valley-based NewView Capital has led a A$30 million ($22.4 million) Series B round for Australia telehealth platform Eucalyptus.
India media platform Pratilipi raises $48m Series D
Pratilipi, a literature, comics, and audio storytelling platform with service in 12 Indian languages, has raised a $48 million Series D that will see the start-up branch into gaming.
Temasek's portfolio rebounds to record high
Temasek Holdings shook off last year’s retraction in value to post its highest shareholder return in 11 years, with the overall portfolio reaching a record S$381 billion ($281 billion) for the 12 months ended March.
2Q analysis: Trouble in China
Efforts to rein in China’s technology giants have dampened investor sentiment, with India and Southeast Asia stepping into the void. China remains active for fundraising, but there are fears that US IPO activity could take a hit
Indonesia's Bukalapak set for domestic IPO
Indonesian e-commerce platform Bukalapak – which counts GIC, and Microsoft among its investors – has unveiled plans to become the first of the country’s technology unicorns to complete a domestic IPO.
Regulator blocks China live-streaming platform merger
China’s antitrust watchdog has blocked a merger of Huya and Douyu - the country's two largest video game live-streaming platforms - initiated by Tencent Holdings.
India's Ola receives $500m pre-IPO round
Temasek Holdings and Warburg Pincus have joined a $500 million in Indian ride-hailing platform Ola ahead of an IPO.
Korea's Kurly raises $200m, targets domestic listing
Korean grocery delivery platform operator Kurly has raised a $200 million Series F round at a valuation of $2.2 billion, as plans for a US IPO are scrapped in favor of a local listing.
China community group buying platform Tongcheng Life goes bust
Tongcheng Life, a China-based community group buying business incubated by online travel agency Tongcheng-Elong, has announced its bankruptcy, blaming "poor management."
Tiger Global leads $144m round for India's DealShare
Tiger Global Management has led a $144 million Series D round for Indian social e-commerce start-up DealShare.
SOSV raises $100m growth fund
Early-stage investor SOSV – known for accelerator programs such as China-based HAX and Chinaccelerator – has raised $100 million for its first growth fund designed to invest in Series B rounds and beyond.
China O2O services player Daojia pursues US listing
Daojia, a China-based online-to-offline (O2O) home services provider that has previously received funding from KKR, Alibaba Group, and Ping An Group, has filed for an IPO in the US.
Temasek, Multiples lead $192m Series F for India's Licious
Temasek Holdings and Multiples Alternate Asset Management have led a $192 million Series F funding round for Licious, an India-based online retailer specializing in fresh meat and seafood.
China's Didi targeted by regulators within days of bumper US IPO
Didi completed the largest PE-backed IPO in the US in seven years by a Chinese company, but its stock was pegged back within days of launch after the country's internet regulator moved against the ride-hailing platform.
China's ZWC Partners raises $770m
Chinese venture capital firm ZWC Partners has closed its second US dollar-denominated fund at around $770 million, beating a target of $450 million.
Profile: BRI Ventures’ Nicko Widjaja
First at MDI Ventures and now at BRI Ventures, Nicko Widjaja has established himself as a pioneer of corporate venture capital in Indonesia. The journey has been long and sometimes bumpy
Deal focus: Carro prioritizes car financing as ecosystem enabler
Southeast Asia’s Carro has achieved critical mass as a used car trading platform, but the start-up regards financial services as the key growth area. It is now backed by SoftBank Vision Fund’s considerable heft